1938 Saskatchewan general election

1938 Saskatchewan general election

June 8, 1938 (1938-06-08)
52 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 27 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   SC Leader William John Patterson George Hara Williams Joseph Needham Party Liberal Co-operative Commonwealth Social Credit Leader since 1935 July 17, 1936 1935 Leader's seat Cannington Wadena Did not run Last election 50 5 pre-creation Seats won 38 10 2 Seat change 12 5 2 Popular vote 200,334 82,529 70,084 Percentage 45.45% 18.73% 15.90% Swing 2.55pp 5.26pp 15.90pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Unity Leader — John Diefenbaker Party Unity Conservative Leader since — October 28, 1936 Leader's seat — Ran in Arm River (lost) Last election 0 0 Seats won 2 0 Seat change 2 ±0 Popular vote 9,848 52,315 Percentage 2.24% 11.87% Swing 2.00pp 14.88pp
Premier before election William John Patterson Liberal Premier after election William John Patterson Liberal

The 1938 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 8, 1938, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

The Liberal Party was returned to power under its new leader, William John Patterson, but it lost twelve of the seats it had held in the previous legislature. The Liberals faced several new forces in this election.

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a democratic socialist party led by George Hara Williams, became the official opposition winning over 18% of the vote and ten seats in its first election. The party previously had five seats after the Farmer-Labour Group became the Saskatchewan CCF following the previous election.

The Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan, which promoted the social credit theories of monetary reform, rode a wave of popularity from the 1935 electoral success of its Alberta counterpart and collected almost 16% of the votes, but won only two seats.

Six "Unity" candidates also ran in an attempt to create a popular front of the Communists, CCF supporters and various populists. Although two were elected, they received only a very small fraction of the overall vote.

The Conservative Party – under its new leader, John Diefenbaker – continued its decline as their share of the popular vote fell from 25% to under 12%. The party won no seats. Diefenbaker later had considerably more success in the federal Conservative Party, eventually becoming leader and sweeping the party to power in the 1958 election with a huge majority.

Results

Party		Party leader	Candidates	Seats				Popular vote
				1934	Dissol.	Elected	% Change	#	%	% Change
	Liberal	William Patterson	53	50	50	38	-24%	200,334	45.45%	-2.55%
	Co-operative Commonwealth	George Williams	31	5	5	10	+100%	82,529	18.73%	-5.26%
	Social Credit	Joseph Needham (default)	40	*	–	2	*	70,084	15.90%	*
	Unity		3	–	–	2	–	9,848	2.24%	+2.00%
	Conservative	John Diefenbaker	24	–	–	–	–	52,315	11.87%	-14.88%
	Independent Labour		3	*	–	–	*	12,039	2.73%	+2.40%
	Labour Progressive		2	*	–	–	*	8,514	1.93%	*
	Independent		2	–	–	–	–	4,023	0.91%	+0.22%
	Independent Conservative		1	*	–	–	*	828	0.19%	*
	Independent Social Credit		1	*	–	–	*	228	0.05%	*
Total			160	55	55	52	-5.5%	440,742	100%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan

Note: * Party did not nominate candidates in previous election.

Percentages

Popular vote Liberal   45.45% CCF   18.73% Social Credit   15.90% Conservative   11.87% Unity   2.24% Others   5.81%

Seats summary Liberal   73.08% CCF   19.23% Social Credit   3.85% Unity   3.85%

Ranking

Party		Seats	Second	Third	Fourth
	Liberal	38	15	0	0
	Co-operative Commonwealth	10	13	6	2
	Social Credit	2	13	18	7
	Unity	2	0	1	0
	Conservative	0	9	9	6
	Other parties	0	2	7	0

Riding results

Names in bold represent cabinet ministers and the Speaker. Party leaders are italicized. The symbol " ** " indicates MLAs who are not running again.

Northwestern Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates					Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative	Other
Athabasca		Jules Marion 642				William J. Windrum (Liberal) 628		Deakin Alexander Hall
Cut Knife		John A. Gordon 2,379	Andrew Macauley 1,766	Bill Roseland 2,471				Andrew James Macauley
Meadow Lake		Donald MacDonald 3,184	Robert C. Paul 1,800	Judson B. Clark 2,434				Donald MacDonald
Redberry		Orest Zerebko 2,601		Sheridan P. Porter 1,824		Arnold Larsen (Ind.) 1,572	New District
Rosthern		John Uhrich 3,267		H. Henry Henschel 1,735		Peter Peters (Ind. Social Credit) 228		John Michael Uhrich
Shellbrook		Omer Demers 2,933	Albert Mansfield 1,343	Virden Gable 2,560				Omer Demers
The Battlefords		John Gregory 3,119	Lloyd A. Gardiner 1,287	Albert J. Tatchell 2,085				John Albert Gregory
Turtleford		Bill Kerr 2,925	John Stegehuis 440	James Proctor 2,759	Walter A. Hicks 456			Charles Arthur Ayre**

June 26, 1940 By-Election: The Battlefords

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Paul Prince	3,289	61.76%	+13.71%
	CCF	Max Campbell	2,036	38.24%	+18.41%
Total			5,325	100.00%

July 28, 1941 By-Election: Athabasca

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hubert Staines	Acclaimed	100.00%
Total			Acclamation

Northeastern Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates				Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative
Cumberland		Deakin A. Hall 548			George W. Smith 57	New District
Humboldt		Jim King 3,636	Joe Burton 3,446	John J. Lins 385			James Chisholm King
Kelvington		James Marshall 2,747	Peter Howe 4,174				George Ernest Dragan
Kinistino		John Taylor 2,866	William J. Boyle 1,864	William H. Setka 1,482	Andrew Fraser 560		John Richard Parish Taylor
Melfort		John MacFarlane 2,657	Oakland Woods Valleau 3,024	Chrysostom J. Lewis 1,029	Gilbert D. Eamer 1,604		John Duncan MacFarlane
Prince Albert		Thomas Davis 5,279	John J.F. McIsaac 970	George Bzowey 2,342	Kennedy H. Palmer 2,227		Thomas Clayton Davis
Tisdale		Harvie Dorrance 3,421	John Hewgill Brockelbank 4,202	Robert M. Locker 1,115	Garth F. Johnston 654		Harvie James Dorrance
Torch River		Jim Kiteley 1,992	Harry Fenster 1,354	Herve Prince 1,025	Conrad B. Euler 366	New District

August 4, 1938 By-Election: Humboldt

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	CCF	Joe Burton	3,909	50.90%	+4.75%
	Liberal	Charles Dunn	3,771	49.10%	+0.41%
Total			7,680	100.00%

October 16, 1939 By-Election: Prince Albert

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Harry Fraser	Acclaimed	100.00%
Total			Acclamation

West Central Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates				Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative
Arm River		Gustaf Herman Danielson 3,295			John Diefenbaker 3,105		Gustaf Herman Danielson
Biggar		Bob Hassard 3,196	John Young 3,341	Henry A. Gardner 841			Robert Pelham Hassard
Hanley		Charles Agar 2,774		Frederick E. Roluf 1,599	John A. Stewart 1,623		Charles Agar
Kerrobert-Kindersley		Donald Laing 3,298	Frank Jaenicke 1,201	Robert M. Goodwin 2,336			Donald Laing Kerrobert
						Merged district
							Louis Henry Hantelman Kindersley
Rosetown		Neil McVicar 2,449	John T. Douglas 1,941	William J. Loucks 1,415	Andrew Wilson 951		Neil McVicar
Watrous		Frank S. Krenn 3,522	John Waldbillig 2,181	Charles A. Schmeiser 1,609	Julius W. Stechishin 474		Bert Clement**
Wilkie		John C. Knowles 4,053		Frank R. Beggs 2,797			John Jardine**

East Central Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates					Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative	Other
Canora		George Dragan 3,259	Myron Feeley 3,504				New District
Last Mountain		Guy H. Hummel 3,168	Jacob Benson 3,299	William H. Schroder 902	Alfred J. Dyer 1,121			Guy Hartsel Hummel
Melville		Charles Dunn 5,089		John Herman 5,100				E. Walt Gerrand**
Pelly		Reginald J.M. Parker 3,936	Gertrude S. Telford 3,088					Reginald John Marsden Parker
Saltcoats		Asmundur A. Loptson 3,114	Joseph L. Phelps 3,409	Alexander E. Sahlmark 1,003			New District
Touchwood		John Parker 1,910	Tom Johnston 2,301	Hugh H. Lyle 1,268	John Hnatyshyn 1,287			John Mason Parker
Wadena		Donald McCallum 3,085	George Williams 4,871	Harry W. Arnold 345				George Hara Williams
Yorkton		Vincent Smith 3,274				Alan Stewart (Unity) 4,955		Vincent Reynolds Smith

Southwest Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates					Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative	Other
Elrose		George B. Weiler 2,676	Louis H. Hantelman 3,164	Gilbert A.W. Gessel 1,014	Henry T. Blackwell 360			John Andrew Wilson**
Gravelbourg		Edward Culliton 3,683		Andrew J. Miller 2,202				Edward Milton Culliton
Gull Lake		Harvey McMahon 3,901	Henry Kemper 3,732					Herman Henry Kemper
Maple Creek		John Mildenberger 4,058		Oliver Reid 2,136		A.J. Mercer (Unity) 1,562		John Joseph Mildenberger
Morse		Benjamin T. Hyde 2,861	Henry P. Thiessen 1,808	William E. Armstrong 1,416	Cliff B. Martin 478			Neil John MacDonald**
Notukeu-Willow Bunch		Charles W. Johnson 3,659	John E. Lidgett 2,859	George W.S. Eisnor 1,100				George Spence** Notukeu
							Merged district
								Charles William Johnson Willow Bunch
Swift Current		Jim Taggart 4,953	Clarence Stork 3,584	Alfred C. Butterworth 1,097				James Gordon Taggart

Southeast Saskatchewan

Electoral District		Candidates					Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative	Other
Bengough		James B. Smith 3,158				Herman K. Warren (Unity) 3,331		James Bidwell Smith
Cannington		William Patterson 4,473	Gladys Strum 3,477					William John Patterson
Lumsden		Robert S. Donaldson 2,596	McDirmid Rankin 1,847	Thomas Allan McInnis 624	Claude H.J. Burrows 1,923			Henry Phillip Mang**
Milestone		William Pedersen 2,820		Samuel Horton 630		Samuel Norval Horner (Ind.) 2,451		William Pedersen
Moosomin		Arthur Procter 4,198		Joseph C. Richards 1,400	Percy S. George 2,528			Arthur Thomas Procter
Qu'Appelle-Wolseley		Frederick M. Dundas 4,871		Joseph Thauberger 1,496	Stanley W. Nichols 3,253			Frederick Middleton Dundas
Souris-Estevan		Norman McLeod 4,383	W. Glenroy Allen 3,467	Ernest W. Hinkson 441				Jesse Pichard Tripp**
Weyburn		George L. Crane 4,744	Frederick C. Williams 4,167			John C. Burnside (Ind. Conservative) 828		Hugh Elliott Eaglesham**

Urban constituencies

Electoral District		Candidates					Incumbent
		Liberal	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Social Credit	Conservative	Other
Moose Jaw City		William Gladstone Ross 4,830 William George Baker 4,728		John Wesley Corman 2,689 William J. Passmore 2,465	John Alexander Merkley 2,137 Arthur W.E. Fawkes 2,005			William Gladstone Ross William George Baker
Saskatoon City		James Wilfred Estey 7,213 Robert Mitford Pinder 6,893		Jacob Klassen 4,339 John Harrison Hilton 4,164	James T.M. Anderson 5,006 Stephen N. MacEachern 4,692	Robert Hunter (Independent Labour) 4,813		James Wilfred Estey George Wesley Norman**
Regina City		Percy McCuaig Anderson 12,749 Bamm David Hogarth 12,641		John Harold Crawford 966	Hugh McGillivray 7,934 Frederick Bertram Bagshaw 6,576	Alban Cedric Ellison (Ind. Labour) 5,329 Samuel Barrington East (Lab. Prog.) 4,426 Thomas Gerald McManus (Lab. Prog.) 4,088 Alexander Duff Connon (Ind. Labour) 1,897		Percy McCuaig Anderson William Franklin Kerr

November 24, 1938 By-Election: Regina City (1 member elected)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Bernard J. McDaniel (elected)	10,197	49.52%	–
	Conservative	Reginald M. Balfour	5,809	28.21%	–
	CCF	Charles Cromwell Williams	4,298	20.87%	–
	Social Credit – Farmer-Labour	J.B. McLeod	156	0.76%	–
	Social Credit	Cornelius Rink	133	0.64%	–
Total			20,593	100.00%

See also

• List of Saskatchewan political parties
• List of Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts

References

• Brown, Lorne A. "The Early CCF in Saskatchewan." In The Prairie Agrarian Movement Revisited, edited by Murray Knuttila and Bob Stirling, 169–185. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, 2007.
• Saskatchewan Archives Board - Election Results By Electoral Division
• Elections Saskatchewan - Provincial Vote Summaries

Further reading

• The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1937 and 1938. Toronto: The Annual Review Company. 1940.